Latest news with #supportGroup

Yahoo

a day ago

General
Yahoo

Your Daily FoodScope for June 07, 2025

Do you often find yourself wondering what food to cook, how to cook it, and even that dreaded question—how much of it? It's a daily struggle for all of us, but need not be with our food horoscope. Satisfaction is only a click away! You could be tempted to do as little as possible. But that will be difficult as work demands suck you back in. But the day will be over before you know it and you can finally relax. Let someone else do the cooking tonight. Sushi and miso soup will be a mellow way to end the workweek. It'll behoove you to keep the company of those who share your goals today. This will be particularly true if you're trying to lose weight. A support group will keep you focused so arrange to meet for lunch. You can share each other's salads, although you may want to pass on the one with the anchovies. Things will seem blurry today, and comprehension will be hard to come by. You could be experiencing fallout from skipping breakfast. Making amends at lunch could save the day. Turkey breast on rye with a big green salad could have you seeing things clearer, or at least a lot less fuzzy. You may want to bond with your watery roots today. So get in a swim at the local pool. You'll feel right at home in the water and the subsequent workout will do you good. Follow that with a healthy dinner. Hmmm, grilled salmon with a bowl of Manhattan clam chowder suddenly comes to mind. Emotions will run high at work today, but strive to be the embodiment of Zen. This may be tough as you sit in the middle of the swirling vortex. But a cup of organic chamomile tea with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint may prompt you to chant your mantra, much to the chagrin of those around you. What does your karmic journey hold? Discover your destiny with our Karma Report. ✨ Don't expect a lot to get done on this last day of the week. Fortunately you won't have much on your plate, so it'll be easy to relax. But avoid skipping out early to get a head start on happy hour. Those Buffalo wings and nachos can wait until at least five o'clock, but not a minute later. It won't make sense to start new projects today. So milk the work you've already got on your plate. But you'll want to knock off a little early. There's a seat with your name on it at the sushi bar and a boatload of sashimi that's just daring you to dive in. You'll think your imagination is playing tricks on you today. But you'll soon realize that you're staring at the real deal. So pull up a chair and a fork and dig into a delicious crab casserole made with crab fresh from the bay. It'll be so good you'll think you're dreaming. You'll have a hard time getting the engine started today. So put the appropriate fuel into the tank before leaving home. Buttermilk pancakes with turkey sausage smothered in maple syrup will give you something to burn straight through lunch and beyond. Compassion will fuel you with a desire to help the less fortunate today. So buy cans of tuna, soup and fruit as well as boxes of cereal and donate them to your local food bank. It's important to remember those who don't have much to celebrate. You deserve to pamper yourself as the week draws to a close. A massage or facial sound tempting but they will ultimately be unsatisfying. Treat yourself to dinner instead. A surf and turf meal will give you contentment, especially if the surf in question is a plump Maine lobster tail. You may not have funds to lavish yourself with jewelry and trendy new clothes. But you can still pamper yourself and remain within budget. Buy the ingredients needed to make an obscenely cheesy lasagna. You'll get tremendous self-satisfaction and it won't break your bank. Need guidance? Your Numerology Reading is a mystic cheat-sheet to living your full potential.

My name's Ulrika Jonsson & I'm an alcoholic – I was on knees swigging a bottle at 11am then one day I made cry for help

The Sun

a day ago

Health
The Sun

My name's Ulrika Jonsson & I'm an alcoholic – I was on knees swigging a bottle at 11am then one day I made cry for help

MY name is Ulrika and I am an alcoholic. Not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips in just over a year. 7 7 For family and friends, it's been a cause for great celebration, it's viewed as a major feat. My eldest daughter even offered to take me out for a celebratory meal. For me, the run-up to this anniversary has been the cause of much trepidation and a sprinkling of fear. But, most of all, it's been a realisation. Because this is my life now. The day I surrendered and accepted I had a problem with alcohol, I knew I couldn't just give it up for a while. I knew I couldn't just cut back in the hope that I'd be cured, because alcoholism is a disease for which there is no cure. There is a solution, but there is no fix. I was trapped in a vicious cycle of hell. Even with my best friend calling me one Saturday morning to tell me to get help because I clearly had a problem, I refused despite the unbearable shame I felt. Alcoholics are selfish creatures. Yes, having a problem with alcohol meant I was an alcoholic. Even though I would NEVER have admitted it at the time. Then came June 5 last year. A hangover day much like any other, really. I sat on the sofa with my liver and brain pickled in equal measure, wrapped up in the blanket of shame, and something made me reach out for help. Ulrika Jonsson speaks out during Sober October about overcoming binge drinking I typed a message that read, quite simply: 'I can't do this any more' and sent it to a friend who was five years' sober. And that's how a life of sobriety saved my life and my sanity. There is every possibility I could have given up drinking by myself — my obstinance can be a virtue — but I wouldn't have been able to heal myself and reach the level of emotional sobriety I have today without the support of other ex-drunks and a programme to guide me. Saved my life It has saved my life in more ways than one. And, without sounding too evangelical about my journey, I've had a spiritual awakening and found an inner peace I never knew possible. I'm a different person to the Ulrika I was over a year ago. I've learnt more about myself in the past year than I did in my past 56 on this planet. Has it been easy? Nothing easily gained is ever worth having, I say. I've not had the temptation to pick up a drink, but alcohol is impossible to avoid — it's everywhere. What to do if you think are an alcoholic IF you're struggling with alcohol addiction, the most important thing is to recognise the problem and seek support - You don't have to face it alone. Seek Professional Help GP or Doctor – A medical professional can assess your situation and provide advice on treatment options. Therapists or Counsellors – Talking to an addiction specialist can help address underlying causes and develop coping strategies. Rehab or Detox Programmes – If physical dependence is severe, medically supervised detox may be necessary. Consider Support Groups At the beginning, I would look lovingly at a glass of red wine when I went out for a Sunday roast. But knowing that a drink would not make things better, and it would never just be the ONE, stopped me from picking it up. I found Christmas difficult initially and, disconcertingly, Easter was even harder, with family around me drunk and laughing at things that just weren't funny. I had a couple of dates earlier this year, when I knew the social lubricant of alcohol would have calmed my nerves and allowed me to hide beneath a veil of intoxication. But at least I was able to be my authentic self — to be more discerning and accept that these men were just not for me. Sobriety comes with a hefty dose of honesty, which can be as welcome as it can be unwelcome. So, this journey goes on. It's not a destination. It will only end with my dying breath. I've yet to learn the exact damage my drinking might have inflicted on those around me. 7 7 I think of my children and how worried about me they were. How I must have scared them. How torn they must have been between wanting to say something and just hoping I would come to my senses. I have amends to make. I have character defects to accept and improve. I have to remember to live in the moment and that whether I'm one year or ten years' sober, for me it will continue to be one day at a time. I still have alcohol in the house. Removing it would make no difference to me. I believe if I really wanted a drink, I would go to buy it. I have no objections at all to others drinking around me but, by Christ, people can be annoying when drunk! At least it's not me doing the crazy stuff, dancing on the tables or doing things I will quickly forget or regret. Nor do I wake up with punishing hangovers and terrifying anxiety or even a new haircut because the rum thought it was a great idea to give myself a new look the night before. Beautiful things happen in sobriety. Good things come your way. Beautiful people come into your life, too. People without judgment who fundamentally care for you and understand you. That has been my greatest reward. Don't get me wrong, life has continued to throw me curveballs. I'm just better equipped to deal with them as a sober person. Sobriety comes with a hefty dose of honesty, which can be as welcome as it can be unwelcome I have a history of alcoholics in my family on my mother's side, but I don't have decades of alcohol abuse behind me. I didn't become addicted after the first sip of Pimm's at the age of 14 when I first got drunk. My drinking history is quite unremarkable. It didn't result in me losing my job, my marriage, my children or even my driving licence. I didn't get arrested or end up in jail. I wasn't a vomiting mess that couldn't get her kids ready for school in the morning. I wasn't a violent drunk. Which is why it might be helpful for anyone else out there to note that alcoholics come in all shapes and sizes and many live among us in plain sight. But the few years running up to my decision to quit, I was clearly drinking for the wrong reasons and I had no control over my cravings. I was a binge-drinker who drank to black out. Heavy shame A perfect storm of life led me to self-medicate, to soothe away life's ills and sharp edges; to quell my crippling anxiety by drinking neat rum from the neck of the bottle while kneeling into the cupboard underneath the stairs. There is nothing quite as 'sobering' as admitting to dropping to your knees at 11am and sticking your lips around a bottle of 40 per cent alcohol; feeling it swiftly burn your throat and immediately extinguish your anxiety, fears and self-loathing. Drinking was 'my thing'. It was a personal and private activity I had all to myself. I foolishly believed it was harmless because it didn't affect anyone else, so it was nothing anyone could take away from me. And I loved it. It made me feel instantly better and helped me cope with life. It killed my feelings of being overwhelmed; it relaxed me and made me a much nicer person. I thought . . . See, the one thing I had established by the time my drinking got completely out of hand was that I simply wasn't cut out for life. 7 7 7 I just couldn't cope. Everyone else seemed on top of everything while I was constantly swimming against the tide. I was forever traipsing through fields of molasses; perpetually found myself on the battlefield of life utterly unarmed. I was just no good at it. While I made no specific plan to end my life, my hope was eventually that alcohol would destroy me. I was a solitary drinker. But what might have started out as fun very quickly, and without fail, ended in blackout. I couldn't just have the one drink. What weirdo does that? I wasn't seeking light inebriation. I wanted the full anaesthetic effect. My self-esteem and self-worth were so bad, I believed the drink would make me become someone else. Or better still, nothing at all. I had such crippling anxiety about the present and future, which was coupled with past ordeals, that I was desperate for my feelings just to STOP. Because I didn't initially drink every day, and because my life looked impeccable from the outside, I convinced myself there wasn't a problem. I was still in control. However, I know now that those close to me saw a different picture. They heard my slurred voice on the phone; saw my drunk eyes betray me; worried about my volatile and highly strung demeanour and mood swings. They grew tired of repeating things to me that my blackouts had erased. It took months to rid myself of the heavy shame that drinking brought. Now, I realise I was really ill — both physically and spiritually — and that makes me go a bit easier on myself. In short, I'm grateful to my alcoholism for bringing me to where I am today: a life of honesty and integrity; of clarity and calm and being the person I never believed I could be. My name is Ulrika and I'm an alcoholic. And I have chosen life.

JANA HOCKING: My nights of lesbian exploration... and the lesson they've taught me that every middle-aged woman must know

Daily Mail

2 days ago

Entertainment
Daily Mail

JANA HOCKING: My nights of lesbian exploration... and the lesson they've taught me that every middle-aged woman must know

Over the past few years, something curious has started happening in my friend group. Women, apparently straight, mostly divorced and fed up with dating men, have started confessing: 'I think I might be into other women.' At first, I dismissed it as a one-off, a throw-away comment delivered with a nervous laugh after one too many cocktails. But then another friend said it. Then another.

How Walsall hospital volunteer's own cancer story calms patients

BBC News

3 days ago

General
BBC News

How Walsall hospital volunteer's own cancer story calms patients

A cancer survivor who uses her position as a hospital volunteer to show patients the illness can be beaten is among the hundreds of helpers forming the "heartbeat" of the NHS in the West bosses have praised the 450 or so people who give up their time to support sites in Walsall and Wolverhampton each year, describing volunteers such as Pat Rayner, 77, as "hugely valued".Mrs Rayner, a breast cancer support volunteer, said: "I think it's nice to give back once you've come through something - it helps other people as well to see that you're still around."Hospitals say they are keen to match new volunteers with suitable roles. Mrs Rayner, who lives in Willenhall in Walsall borough, supports women with breast cancer 40 years after she recovered from the same gives her personal phone number to patients she meets during monthly Walsall Manor Hospital visits, and at a charitable support group run by Walsall Breast Cancer Support Group. She often gets calls."They know they can phone you up at any time if they're feeling down," she said."They might say they're worried about hair and chemotherapy, and different drugs, and if they come to the support group they're bound to find someone going through the same thing." The support charity, which meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Bloxwich Golf Club, has also raised funds for Walsall Manor's cancer Rayner said she had been inspired to help others after she was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 37 and at a support group met a woman who had undergone a the time, nobody spoke about living with cancer, she said. "It was very scary at the time, which is where a support group comes in... we've helped no end of members."She acknowledged she was "probably one of the longest-serving volunteers" at the hospital, adding she would keep going for as long as she could."I think once you start doing volunteering you carry on for quite a bit... It is very rewarding," she said. About 200 people do unpaid work each year at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust (WHT), with a further 250 helping out at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT).Adam Jackson, 25, who now has a paid job after working for free for 10 months at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, said volunteering had given him "a real confidence boost".Mr Jackson, from the city, initially volunteered on the New Cross staff wellbeing hub and also the discharge lounge, serving refreshments and chatting to patients waiting to go has worked his way up to becoming a paid theatre support assistant at the hospital and said he enjoyed keeping patients calm before operations."Volunteering with RWT gave me a real confidence boost when it comes to meeting and working with new people, as well as experience for a hands-on style working environment," he said. Andrew Rice, head of Patient Voice at WHT and RWT, said hospitals would work with volunteers to find roles aligning with "not just what we need but also what they're looking for".He said it was important to give patients time to talk to people who were not medics."The volunteers are the heartbeat of the [trusts], their contribution to different services never goes unnoticed, and I can't thank them all enough for their hard work and commitment," he added. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Indonesia politics: Retired generals call for impeachment of Vice President Gibran

CNA